S. 109
Floor Speech
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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, tomorrow Washington will play host to one of our Nation's proudest examples of peaceful activism: the 49th annual March for Life.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans--from different States, different faiths, different ethnic backgrounds--will speak with one voice on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. I would like to welcome the marchers, especially my fellow Kentuckians, including Margie Montgomery, executive director of Kentucky Right to Life. I welcome all the marchers with gratitude. I am grateful they are helping shed light on this great shame of our society and bearing witness to the fact that human dignity and human rights are for everyone.
As they march tomorrow, our friends can take pride in knowing our beliefs are not just consistent with morality and supported by science; they are also squarely within the mainstream of our society. According to one recent survey, a sizable majority of American adults hold views on the subject that are far, far from the absolutist position of the far left.
Seventy-five percent of all Americans, including more than 60 percent of those who call themselves pro-choice, support more protection for the lives of unborn children.
The far left is wedded to the most extreme positions on this subject. For example, the radical left wants America to remain one of only seven--seven--countries in the entire world, including China and North Korea, that allow elective abortions to occur after 20 weeks and even after the child is capable of feeling pain. The American people, however, know better. That survey also found that a majority of Americans oppose taxpayer-funded abortions. So I am proud today to stand with that majority of Americans and urge every Member of this body to join me in supporting the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act this afternoon.
Thanks to the dedication of Senators Wicker, Roberts, Ernst, Lankford, Daines, Blunt, and many others, the bill before us would supplement existing law and bolster the important, longstanding protections of the Hyde amendment.
By implementing a governmentwide, statutory prohibition on taxpayer subsidies for abortion and abortion coverage, S. 109 would close off Federal support for abortion that flows outside of the Hyde-protected regular appropriations process.
In addition, it would explicitly ensure that Federal healthcare facilities are not party to abortions and increase transparency requirements for federally subsidized healthcare plans.
I am proud to support this important step forward in protecting Americans' rights of conscience, and I urge every one of our colleagues to vote to advance it.
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